


It's a Game!

by ParanoidCorgi



Category: The Founder of Diabolism, The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Romance, Cameos, Chinese Character, Crossover, Fluff, M/M, My First AO3 Post, Video & Computer Games
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-16 00:40:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16074752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParanoidCorgi/pseuds/ParanoidCorgi
Summary: It seems like their prayers have been answered, their souls were reborn in a life where there are no sects and no cultivation – such ideas are but a game!An Massive Online Battle Arena Game to be exact!





	1. Red Flowers that bloom

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome Everyone to my first Fanfic in this website! Hurray! -claps-
> 
> I am caught with the novel only to Chapter 69 and I thought – “there’s no way they would survive what’s coming”- I know they would, the novel it’s 117 chapters long but still… I figured, since I’m a junkie that can’t get enough of this pairing I would make my own fanfic!  
> This is a divergence from chapter 68 (right after they rescue the disciples from the cave) C: 
> 
> Just for the heck of it and my personal fun there’s a chance I will add ALL CHINESE characters that I have known in anime/novels/whatever so far so don’t freak out about the extras. 
> 
> Anyway, I know ancient China used 3 names (courtesy name, tittle and given name) but since these are modern times I will be using their Given name for everything AND a nickname (because, you know gamers) based on their Courtesy name! 
> 
> Wei Wuxian is a gamer here. So yeah! - Don't get fooled by the beginning; this is pure fluff and fun!
> 
> Enjoy and have a wonderful day!

After a fierce battle on burial mound that left them exhausted, they walked shoulder by shoulder towards a cave. More cultivators from different clans continued to come, with an insatiable bloodthirst to have the head of the Yinling Patriarch…  


“Maybe we can meet again in another lifetime,”  


Wei Ying stumbled when saying those words, using Suibian more like a cane than a sword at that point. He chuckled awkwardly only to spat blood: “Lan Zhan, do you think there would be a life where I could have walked a wrong path without things turning like this?”  


Wei Wuxian shook his head and almost slapped himself “Of course not, what life would that be? Cultivation was never a game but I saw it as one”, He sat on the rocky floor of the cavern to spat some more blood “But, it would be nice… A life where this was all a game, Lan Zhan, we could meet there,”  


Lan Wangji remained still about those words; he didn’t wish to let this life go, now after he waited for thirteen years for them to meet again. He reached for his pouch to fetch some medicinal herbs to stop the bleeding in Wei Wuxian’s body only to find a pale hand pressing on his chest. He held a gasp, pressing his teeth to ignore his own wounds.  


“Silly Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian whispered, a red thread was coming out of his pale lips “You are wounded too,”  
“Wei Ying, don’t speak,” he said but his robes pale as snow were now tainted in red. Wei Wuxian fingers traveled across the lapel feeling the wet fabric to taint them in red.  
“Lan Zhan; it’s red,”  
Lan Wangji nodded without energy and he found himself wrapped around Wei Wuxian arms.  
“Like a red thread; we’ll be together,” He uttered while entwining his fingers with him, barely feeling the skin but painting the whiteness in red regardless “See, I made you a ring, Lan Zhan; we’ll meet again in another lifetime”  


Every fiber and muscle in Lan Wangji trembled with those words and he forced himself to bite his lips so strongly they bleed. He nodded finally uttering a soft “Hmn,”  
“It’s red, Lan Zhan”, Wei Ying repeated reaching for his face to kiss his lips “It’s beautiful,” He said with a blank gaze as life slowly drifted away from his body.  
Lan Zhan clear eyes as jade shut slowly, his eyelashes fluttered as he whispered again: “hmm, it’s beautiful,” before dying in WeiWuxian arms.


	2. Coastal range

Wei Ying hopped through a fence and ran down the coastline with his shoes on his hands, feeling the sand on his toes as he laughed. He laughed as the wind waved his long black hair like a flag, he laughed like a child that was visiting the beach for the first time.  
But that wasn’t his first, nor even second or third time; he visited that beach almost every day and he enjoyed it each time. He was simply thankful for being alive over the past nineteen years which made his expression almost goofy but his appearance was youthful and lighthearted.  
Yet Wei Ying heart was mostly a mystery and despite being an absolute flirt with each girl he encountered on the beach and through high school and it seemed that his pattern was going to repeat during College. He couldn’t settle with anyone, he was like a leaf flying in the breeze.  


He stopped his running in front of a rental shack where an old man was eating from a cup of noodles – he paid no attention to the young man in front of him. Wei Ying helped himself and fetched a longboard from the wall; it had red flowers painted all over its length.  


“I hope to catch good waves today,” Wei Ying said skipping his steps only to stop next to the old man “Old man, Old man, what are you eating? Smells delicious,”  


“Beat it Wei Ying!” the old man almost huffed trying to slurp his noodles “You are here almost every day; don’t you know any responsibility?”  


“My responsibilities include eating!” He said grabbing a noodle with two of his fingers to eat it with delight.  


The old man felt tempted to hit Wei Ying as he was laughing after his childish prank but he stopped abruptly when noticing another young man approaching the store.  


He had a gentle expression and long hair tied in loosely. Once his gaze met Wei Ying he beamed and rushed his pace –“Wei Ying!”  


“Wen Ning, are you going to join me today?” He asked with a smirk trying to snatch another noodle from the old man’s cup.  


“Wen Ning! You shouldn’t be spending so much time with this nutcase!” the old man hissed almost pinching Wei Ying skin with his chopsticks “Did you finish all your homework?”  


Wen Ning nodded as he picked a board from a corner of the shack “Yes grandpa,”  


“What do you mean nutcase? One day I will be acknowledged by my genius! Old man!”  


“What genius! You had the opportunity of a career and you blew it! You have the thickest face to even say you are a genius!” The old man bickered slurping on his noodles afterward.  


Wei Ying shrugged “You clearly don’t understand grandpa, you are too old anyway,” He said walking off carrying his board under his arm only to be followed by Wen Ning.  


“Wei Ying- I’m sorry about grandpa,” His friend stuttered as they dipped their feet on the water feeling the seafoam around their thighs.  


“What are you apologizing for? You are not the one saying those things about me,” Wei Ying said holding his board on the waters “Come on, we have some waves to catch!”

# ***

“Lan Zhan, are you paying attention?”

A pair of eyes as clear as amber turned towards the voice calling for his name but he didn’t utter a word and instead nodded ever so softly. He was focused on the sea view and the surfers having fun on the coast. 

He never had fun, unlike those surfers, in fact, he always felt something in his life was missing though he couldn’t say what was it. His brief moments of happiness were ephemeral, crashing and disappearing like seafoam. The tides of joy only lasted for a year when he attempted to find a path on his own as a pro gamer… 

Now he was going to help his brother run the new Cloud Recess hotel, the family business. They owned several around the country. That new building was going to be his as soon as he graduated from college. 

He was known to be responsible, diligent and perfect. His appearance was chiseled and pure like a statue of jade. He never dared to dismiss such comments about him nor to explain how he didn’t feel that way, how he secretly longed to see the world, turn it upside down, just to find that piece of happiness missing in the puzzle of his life. 

“They seem to be having fun,” His brother spoke close to his ear and nodded “You can visit the beach, Lan Zhan, you do not need to use the hotel’s private area,”

He nodded again muttering a soft hmn though he really had no interest in doing such thing and turned his back on the window instead.

“Have you played that game again?” His brother asked turning his view on the papers over his desk “You seem to enjoy it a lot,”

Lan Zhan thought about the online game his brother mentioned and paused “Occasionally,” he answered taking a seat. He was certain he would play tonight as he has been doing for the last month – Ever since he found him again. The only person in the entire world that made him believe that he had found what he was looking for. 

“Too bad your team didn’t win,” His brother stood up to pat his back and give him a smile as warm as the morning sun “I will help you with work so you can still play, in the meantime try to enjoy your last college year,”

Lan Zhan nodded though he ended up turning his gaze towards the window once again, watching how the surfers would dive under the waves and sighed.


	3. Metalhead drag queen

Wei Ying surfaced his head out of the waters and took a full breath of air. He climbed up his board to stare at the coastline. A slight frown formed on his eyebrows at the sight of the new white hotel, like a beacon of light.

“That building looks so stiff and white, it’s an eyesore against the green mountain,” Wei Ying complained as he laid his back on his board, swinging softly over the waves.

“Cloud Recess hotel,” Wen Ning nodded sitting in his board “It is going to attract a lot of tourists. It would be good for the town” he nodded softly. 

“Wen Ning you see the good in everything- You could look into the eye of anyone from the Lee clan and still think there’s goodness in them!”

Wen Ning shrugged undoing his hairstyle to let his dark hair fall on his broad shoulders –“Well, Yut-Lung is quite beautiful,”

Wei Ying raised his arms up to the sky “That’s exactly what I am saying, next you will say Xue Yang is a good person,” He only straightened his back to flick the forehead of his friend “Such a good heart in life and only merciless online,”

Wen Ning couldn’t prevent a chuckle “Are you playing tonight?” he asked swimming a bit closer to him, from afar their boards would look like petals over a lake. 

“I am always playing,” Wei Ying said nonchalantly rising his hand “Too bad we can’t find another good bug like that one,” he swum towards the coast afterward.

“Would you still do something like that?” Wen Ning asked concerned “Everyone got really mad about our victory last year,”  
“You played with me, don’t you mind everyone being mad at you too? Though we still won, we got the money and they are all so worked out because I found a bug in the game, is not cheating!” 

“I suppose, well, Ghost General is not such a bad name,” He admitted shyly with a shrug. 

“Are you kidding me! is such a ridiculous nickname!” He argued rising his arms again. 

# ***

Wei Ying rushed towards the noodle shop. A food stand, in front of an internet café. Though the place was small with only a handful of tables under a fabric ceiling, it was usually bursting with clientele; mostly gamers that needed to fill their bellies after playing. 

He passed by one of the tables hearing a group of teenagers complaining about the last matches during the season. Two of them looked almost like brothers, with soft and youthful features like cherry blossoms during spring but there was a third young man with a sharp gaze and clear eyes framed by a mole on his forehead, his beauty was only comparable to a crown jewel. 

“What’s with that stun you used, Jingyi? Huh? Such a ridiculous move!” the young man with the mole hissed “My cousin would have laughed at that silly attempt! Are you trying to find a bug as “NoEnvy” did?”

“What! I would never do something so low to win! Jin Ling, you are being a nagging girlfriend again!”

“Do not call me a girlfriend!” Jin Ling complained slamming the table once with the palm of his hand.

“Now, now, it’s better if we don’t fight,” said the last young man. 

Wei Ying quickly realized he knew Jin Ling- it was the disciple and little cousin of Jiang Chen, his former teammate. He bowed his head and sneaked towards the kitchen fearing their stare, though he managed to catch a glimpse of the last young boy, his manners were elegant and calm and it reminded them of someone… 

“You are late, Yao is going to scold you…” He heard a whisper by his ear that delivered a shiver down his spine. Wei Ying straightened his back and chuckled.

A tall man of broad shoulders and stern look stared back at him. His appearance and mannerism gave him a scary look, like a bandit from the mountains, in fact, there were rumors around him were that he was a gang leader. 

“Lu Cang, you startled me…” But before he could explain himself the tall man threw an apron and turned his back on him to continue preparing noodles. 

“Lu Cang, you are not cute at all – You won’t find a girlfriend that way,” Wei Ying complained tying the apron on his back before preparing more of the spicy sauce.

“I do not care about finding a girlfriend,” Lu Cang hissed. 

“A boyfriend then?” 

“Yao! Wei Ying A…!” Lu Cang raised his voice once but Wei Ying caught him in mid-sentence, covering his lips with an open palm.

“Fine! Fine! I will not bother you!” He stuttered looking to the sides, fearing their boss would show up at any minute “Geez, you have been more sensitive these past weeks, something bad must have happened to you,” He said scratching his neck and turned his gaze towards the sauce. 

Lu Cang didn’t say a word and focused on his work instead. Though Wei Ying guess was not far-fetched he was a man of few words. A lot of tension has been building up in his chest to the point it was difficult for him to breathe – Ever since he met a demon with an angelic face.

He considered for a moment that maybe sharing his burden would soothe his mood. However, when he turned his face towards Wei Ying he found the man squatting near a cabinet while rummaging through the lost and found items. 

“Wei Ying! What are you doing!” 

Wei Ying found a makeup palette and proceeded to apply on his face the darkest eyeshadow color and lipstick he could find. Then found an eyeliner and let go of his hair to look like a heavy metal singer or a drag queen. Maybe a metal head drag queen.  
“Shh! I just saw more acquittances coming to the store! Don’t call me by my name!”  
“What are you doing is ridiculous! You do not need to hide like this” he complained and dragged the man far from the cabinet. 

A wide window behind the cash register made possible for costumers to see how the noodles were made but instead they were now giggling at the crazy scene: Wei Ying was practically shouting like a madman while Lu Cang forced him to stand up.

Finally, from the counter, the owner of the shop Wang Yao turned his gaze towards his employees and approached the kitchen window holding a wok and a ladle. He did not need to say any word to them.  
“Oh no! the might of China is going to strike me!” Wei Ying stood up like a soldier and finally got to work.  


Wang Yao returned his gaze towards the two handsome costumers dressed in white and smiled.  
“That would be 10,15$,” Wang Yao said with a nervous smile. 

The older man named Lan Huan gave the cash and smiled. He then noticed the fixed stared of his brother in one of the employees…  
“Do you know him, Lan Zhan?”

Lan Zhan didn’t dare to say a word and waited for his bowl of noodles instead. Only gazing back to the kitchen from to time, feeling his heart rushing at the excitement of knowing where the player known as “NoEnvy” was working now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I noticed there is not a single "hua hua you long" fanfic on this website! which is crazy! D: that was my first chinese novel...anyway... 
> 
> Yes! that is Wang Yao from hetalia! the might of China shall strike with his wok. I said I was going to put cameos from Chinese characters I know! 
> 
> Lan Zhan finally found Wei Ying! :D


	4. Handful of Dumplings

Wei Ying arrived home exhausted. The noodle kitchen was a sweaty place, Wang Yao smashed his head with a ladle several times and on top of everything, the makeup on his face was itchy as hell.  
He tried to massage his back as he dragged his feet inside, throwing his keys into a bowl. He straightened his spine in a foolish attempt to lift his spirits but ended up whining instead.

“What did you do this time?”

Wei Ying’s eyebrows twitched and he sighed defeated as an answer. Nothing could escape the sharp perception of Xiao Xingchen. Ever since the man lost his vision his senses became twice as acute – he could hear a needle falling in the hallway. 

“Brother …” Wei Ying and Xiao Xingchen were more like sworn brothers. Their mothers were good friends so they grew up together, closer than any blood relative and better too for he was there for him. Wei Ying knew nothing about his family after the age of ten. 

They probably were killed in a gang confrontation, a common event in his neighborhood which inspired his brother Xingchen to become a cop. He was like a knight in shining armor, a local hero, girls wanted to date him and kids wanted to grow up to be just like him. Why wouldn’t they? He had gentle features but a strong gaze, like a snowy mountain.   
Unfortunately, he suffered a car crash a year ago, along with his partner Song Lan – the latter was in a state of comma ever since then.

“I did nothing” Wei Ying hissed clicking his tongue “Wang Yao is always in such a foul mood!” 

“Yao really wants to help you with that job,” Xingchen smile was subtle like the spring breeze and his hands moved like the wings of a crane, elegantly and beautiful “And he agrees with you a good schedule so you can go to college,”

Wei Ying rolled his eyes “College this and that again,”

“Wei Ying…”

“Ge! I know you want the best for me but not even with a thousand lifetimes to live I will become a goody two shoes,” He said scratching the back of his head and leaning his body on the fridge “It’s not like we have any debt – we are fine!”

“If things continue like this you will end up being dragged into a dark world, Wei Ying,”

“Not as long as I don’t become a cop like you,” He hissed looking for a soda can.

“I heard that,” His elder brother said, his lips pressed in a stern expression.

“It’s true! If I stay away from the clans, everyone, I will be fine,” Wei Ying drank the whole soda almost in a sip “That is what I want to do with my life! – Whatever!” Just as he took two steps towards the bathroom a knock on the door interrupted his chat. 

“Oh no! speaking of the devil,” Wei Ying rolled his eyes.

“It’s probably Xue Yang,”

“What does he want visiting all the time?” Wei Ying hissed before opening the door, confirming it was indeed Xue Yang.

“You are too protective, didi,” Xingchen smiled which caused Wei Ying to frown “He is just a good friend,”

“Who has the face of a rabid dog,” Wei Ying said crossing his arms and leaning on the door.

“Didi, I know you are there – I see your shadow from under the door~” Xue Yang hummed cheerfully “I just brought you dumplings! They are freshly made! Delicious, delicious dumplings!” 

“Don’t call me Didi!” Wei Ying said opening the door with a frown and feeling a shiver when encountering Xue Yang expression – He always had a dangerous glance, like a beast hunting for a prey.

Of course, his brother Xiao Xingchen would never know that. If anything, he would only be able to see people’s hearts but given his gentle and naïve nature, Wei Ying feared he would always be blindfolded about the evilness on others. 

Xue Yang paid no attention to him and handed him a basket full of dumplings. They did smell delicious so he became just a little bit less wary of him. 

“I like your looks, didi, are you a drag queen now? They do make a lot of money, especially on TV” Xue yang asked before Wei Ying took a bite of the dumplings.

“hmn? Wei Ying, why are you wearing makeup?” Xiao Xingchen asked turning his face towards him.

“I don’t know, I don’t know! I just felt like it! Enjoy the dumplings!” the man said returning the basket to Xue Yang and running to his room.

“I am worried about your little brother,” Xue Yang said sitting comfortably on the sofa, as if he owned the place, next to Xiao Xingchen “Maybe he has lost his marbles. I mean, he threw away his Pro-Gaming career and now he wears makeup like that. Tsk. Tsk” He reached for a dumpling to get it close to Xingchen lips, “Say aaa….”

The man chuckled “Xue Yang, I am not a child,” He said shyly covering his lips with the back of his hand “I’m just blind, I can eat on my own,”

Xue Yang shrugged “though it would be cute to do it like this, come on… just do it for me! please” he said with a mellow voice closer to Xingchen face, who sighed defeated.  
“aaaa~”

From his doorframe, Wei Ying heard everything while he pressed his face against a wet towel. He couldn’t prevent his jaw from clenching after hearing those words.


	5. Expositions are the Limit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this doesn't have too much exposition and is easy to understand. If you play league of Legends the game is basically that except you pick the abilities for your character. But oh well! just let me know if you get it! this is a work in progress after all!

### Two years ago.

Inside the internet café “Wings of memories” there was a big ruckus, almost all the costumers were surrounding Wei Ying with excited eyes. Half of them were wearing purple jackets with a nine petals lotus as a logo and gaming gloves.

“What is this Ge?” Wei Ying hissed playfully leaning on his chair “Did you convince Li Xiaolang to kick me out of the café?” 

“As if,” Jiang Cheng, a handsome young man of striking glance as a lighting was standing in front of Wei Ying. His hands were folded behind his back as he was holding a small box “I could never get rid of you no matter how many times I try, Wei Ying,”

“You know you love me that way!” he was certain of this because he and Jian Cheng have been together ever since kindergarten. They were inseparable and loyal to each other- Wei Ying had the gift of enjoying the company of an older brother like Xingchen and one of his age like Jiang Cheng.

Wei Ying laughed and bounced his gleefully glance around the room “So, what is this about?”

“ Wei Ying, _NoEnvy_ , I, Jiang Cheng, _Zidian_ , captain of the _Yunmeng_ team, hereby recruit you as our _jungler_ ,” and after saying those words like a king in a court he extended the box to Wei Ying.

Inside there were a pair of gaming gloves made in black with red LED lights and VR glasses that matched. Such equipment was too expensive for Wei Ying to buy on his own so the young man was mostly touched.  
“I want you to play with us in the regional S.O.A.P tournament,” 

A round of claps resounded in his ears and promptly after a purple jacket rested on his shoulders.  
He was too shocked to speak at first. For the past months he would use his free time from the noodle shop to rush into the café where his friends were playing “Seeds of Ancient Prophecy” a multiplayer online battle arena that was popular worldwide.  
The game was an action real-time strategy, in which two teams would compete against each other with the main objective of destroying their main structures with the help of periodically spawned units. 

At first it was mostly to annoy Jiang Cheng but he realized he had the ability to become a good player: quick thinking and even quicker fingers. However, he didn’t have the money for a fancy computer and the VR equipment, as a result he only served as a practice dummy among the members of the team but soon most of them were no match against him. 

The position that Jiang Cheng wanted him to fill was the _jungler_ : a player that was to roam between the three main lines -top, mid and bottom – assisting all teammates and initiating fights.  
The top lane player was usually a warrior type of carry and this was Jiang Cheng position, he used a thunder lighting and whip to subdue his enemies. The Mid lane was usually a magician carry and this was Nie Huaisang position, which used a fan to summon magic.  
Bottom line had a carry and a support. This was because during the early stages of the games, carries tend to need some help to become strong. 

“Ge, I don’t know what to say!” Wei Ying was astonished as he wore the gloves “they are not even purple! This is fantastic!” 

“I figured if I get you purple gloves like the rest of the team you would complain”

Wei Ying laughed cheerfully and nodded.

### The Regionals, six months later. 

“ _NoEnvy_ has done it again!!” the commentator chanted as the crowd went wild behind him after a great play “He just have a notch to find _Wangji_ every time he steps out of his lane!” 

“This is completely unprecedented as Wangji is one of the favorites during the season but the guy is completely smitten by _NoEnvy_ ” 

“Quite literally, he turns him into a rabbit,” 

Wei Ying lifted his VR glasses just for a brief second to watch the other players across the stage, inside a glass booth. Somehow, he knew the player _Wangji_ was giving him his famous deadly glare but that fact only excited Wei Ying even more. 

The original plan was to keep an eye of _Wangji_ , the best player on the team _Cloud8_ and their biggest rivals during the regional tournament. The man, which resembled a statue of pure jade was known for his cold mind during the fights, he would never lose patience nor miss a skill shot.

Which is why Wei Ying was determined to make him lose his marbles during the match and purposely picked an ability to turn his character into a fluffy rabbit to disable him during fights. 

This was the third time during the game that he turned Wangji character into a rabbit, which gave his team a critical advantage - he could feel his stare like a dagger on his back…

He has never been so excited in his life, almost to the point of blushing. He couldn’t explain why he found it so fun. He figured he was born to pester this specific player.

He fixed his glasses and turned his attention back to the match. _“You are good Wangji, too good, but your team will go nowhere without you – we are winning this”_ Wei Ying thought to himself as he signaled his team to start a fight to finish the match.

Jiang Cheng hesitated but, in the end, followed Wei Ying’s idea.

HuaiSang, the team’s magician, chirped in his seat “If we win these regionals, maybe my brother would stop nagging at me about this!” 

“Focus first in winning!” Jiang Cheng hissed following Wei Ying.

Wei Ying mercely chased after Wangji to use his skill shot and turn him into a rabbit once again.

After that fight they won the match and the regionals. Opening the doors for them to participate in the international tournament, which prize was of 10.000.000$ for the first-place winners. 

the only thing that stood between them and the first prize was another giant from Asia; the sunfire team. 

But happiness would only for a short while for Wei Ying.

# ***

“You are just too useless Wen Ning!” 

Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng stopped their movements abruptly as they climbed up the stairs. HuaiSang was following them suit but didn’t pay for the voices arguing in the hallway so he ended up bumping against Jiang Cheng shoulder.  
“What is it?” HuaiSang whispered concerned and Wei Ying covered his lips as an answer. 

“This is shameless, we can’t just stay behind a door while they argue,” Jiang Cheng complained, taking a turn on his heels to leave the area.

“You heard that, little chicken, we can’t keep you on the team, we don’t need a support that is scared of everything!” After some thinking they recognized that voice, it was the team leader of the _sunfire team_ , Wen Chao. 

Wei Ying was tempted to step in and defend the poor player but Jiang Cheng prevented him from doing so by holding his arm and shaking his head. “This is their business, you can’t just barge in!” 

But maybe it was due his teachings with Xiao XingCheng or the fact he was just noisy, Wei Ying couldn’t simply stay idly as one player – a good player in his opinion- was being bullied by his teammates.

“You have some nerve to insult your support like that,” Wei Ying pushed the door out and stepped in the middle of the hallway with his arms crossed. His jacket was hanging loosely from his shoulders almost like a cape.

“What do you want _noenvy_ this is not of your business,” Wen Chao hissed, squinting his eyes at Wei Ying arrival.

“You shouldn’t middle in the affairs of other teams,” Wen Xu, Wen Chao older brother and team captain spoke slowly without lifting his gaze “This is a matter with our support,”

“Support? With all the work he does he might as well be the carry! He needs to drag your sorry asses around the matches!” Wei Ying took a step forward, boastful.

While from the stairs HuaiSang was pale from Wei Ying’s word and Jiang Cheng just facepalmed. Wei Ying was now stirring more problems for them in the following matches. 

“What did you say?” Wen Chao almost had an eyebrow twitching after hearing those words “Stupid Noenvy, you are just boastful after winning against cloud8, we will show you!”  
“If you think he is such a good support” Wen Xu hissed and pushed Wen Ning right into Wei Ying’s arms “Why don’t you have him?”

“Eh?” Wei Ying asked bewildered.

“AH?” Jiang Cheng raised an eyebrow from behind the door and pulled HuaiSang closer to him when he noticed the man was trying to run away from the scene. 

“um…” The support tried to speak but the words vanished into the air. 

Jiang Cheng took a deep breath and finally stepped outside “ Wen Xu! You can’t just force us to grab a new support, we have our own support!”

“Your player has insulted my team, Jiang Cheng, if you think you can just come and tell us how to play without any confident you should think away” Wen Xu responded with a cold stare. 

“Hah! Wait until everyone on Twitch knows about this! – You will lose face!” Wen Chao proclaimed with his hands around his waist. 

Jiang Cheng clenched his fists and stared at Wei Ying who was still embracing the poor support during all the ruckus. Wei Ying let go of the smaller man and crossed his hands behind his back with a silly smile “It seems we now have a bigger team!”

Jiang Cheng thought for a moment of kicking Wei Ying out of the team only to remember the idiot was basically a genius that he needed if he wanted to win the international championship.

“Damn it Wei Ying!”


	6. Kissed by luck

It was past midnight and on a small room. The cold light of the LED equipment and computers was casting dark shadows over the furniture; shelves full of figurines, a double bed, and posters.  
There were two people playing, one was sitting by the desk and the other on the floor with a blanket over his shoulders. This was Wei Ying, the jungler of the Yunmeng team who just spent the past two days sleeping on Wen Ning house, in an attempt to train him before their road to the finals.  
They finished the practice match and lifted their VR Glasses and removed their headphones. 

“Just as expected you are a great support, you just need to be less nervous about your skills. You will have to trust your carry during the match because I won’t be next to you …But don't worry, Our carry is really good! We will Ace this and Jiang Cheng will stop pestering me” 

“Um. Wei Ying, why did you help me?” Wen Ning dared to ask curled in his seat, he stretched one of his hands to reach for another blanket over the bed.

“Why wouldn’t I? Your cousins were really mean to you! Just because they are a big gaming team doesn’t mean they can bully you. That’s not right!” Wei Ying puffed his cheeks “This is just a game! Is not like there’s gonna be a bloodshed out of a lost match”

Wen Ning smiled dimly and nodded. 

“You can’t be a zombie who willingly does everything they say!” Wei Ying stuck his tongue out as he tilted his head, pretending to be an undead.

“Speaking of that…” Wen Ning paused for a moment and stared at the screen where his character was showing. He clicked on Wei Ying’s profile and checked on the fearsome avatar with a black tunic and a flute “Why do you have seeds of necromancy?”

“Why wouldn’t I? necromancy is pretty cool I would think. Like something that would get me out of trouble if it all fails,” he said crossing his arms which caused Wen Ning to chuckle.

“I just…felt it doesn’t fit master Ying personality so much,”

“Master Ying! Don’t call me that! I’m not a sect leader or patriarch!” he rubbed his arms “that feels like a haunting memory,”

“for all it’s worth…” Wen Ning spoke slowly holding his breath “I actually feel you are helping me be more alive,” He bounced his gaze around his room, though luxurious it had a nostalgic feeling lingering. “So, thank you, Wei Ying, I will help you in any task you want to accomplish,” 

Laughter burst from Wei Ying after hearing those words “You are so formal Wen Ning, fine” He wiped a tear off his eye “Help me text something related to my zombie summoning. I want to use it with one of your ulti,”

“What is it?”

Wei Ying wore his glasses again though not his headphones “Well you see, I checked your seeds of “Knighthood”. Your Ultimate ability makes an ally of your choosing invulnerable for a few seconds,” Wei Ying mind was drifting everywhere as he created the practice match “I mean, what if you use your ability in one of my zombies,”

Wen Ning blinked. 

Wei Ying seed of necromancy allowed him to control one ally or enemy as an undead to do his bidding while they were “dead” and waiting to respawn back into the match. Once they were back into the game the zombie would collapse and disappear, leaving Wei Ying to wait for another meat to prey upon.  
In the meanwhile, he had to settle for small minions and creatures from the jungle but they weren’t as good. 

“you know what would have been fun?! Use Wanji during a match!” He slapped his cheeks a couple of times to hold his excitement “aaah! His paladin character doing my bidding like a puppet! He would turn red of anger I just can’t take it!” Wei Ying rambled some more. 

Wen Ning held a chuckle again. 

“I think that player must secretly hate you though,”

Wei Ying pursed his lips, tempted to believe those words but something deep down prevented him from doing so. He licked his lips and shrugged it off “Nah, I think this is how I show my care for him,”

Wen Ning raised an eyebrow but didn’t say a word. He wore his glasses and entered the practice ground Wei Ying created “I will do my best in this practice,”

“Good!” 

What they found left them dumbfounded. So much they stayed up for another two hours, trying their new discovery over and over until it was confirmed.

They found a bug in the game.

Not just a small glitch; a minion stuck in a wall or a perfect point to hide. No. They found a way to turn the tables of any game. The bug basically allowed Ying to held zombie clones of all players, changing a 5 vs 5 match, into a 10 vs 5. 

“Master Ying, you won’t be able to control that many units during that match”

Wei Ying was shivering, he wondered why destiny was granting him such a powerful tool and why did he have a notch for finding such things. He turned his head with a sleek curve on his lips 

“I will, let’s continue the practice,”

Wen Ning worried the game would actually crash with so many units on the map but that wasn’t the case. Wei Ying was capable of handling a horde on his own with the sound of his deadly flute.  
He felt a cold sweat down his spine at such skill. 

When the match was over they were speechless as two many thoughts roamed through their brains. Wen Ning was the first to speak, almost in a pleading:  
“Should we report it to the developers?”

Wei Ying blinked unsure of what to say but there was no need as his phone rang.

“It’s 4:00 am, who could it be?” it was a call from Chun-Li, a coworker of his brother Xingchen in the police force. He frowned and picked up the call “Chun-Li, what is it? it’s …”

He was rendered speechless once again as the girl behind the line begun explaining to him how Song Lan and his brother got into a car crash and they were now in the intensive care unit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this is easy to understand! :D and I hope you are enjoying it! - We continue with "NoEnvy" gaming past. 
> 
> I am having dilemmas about pairings like. Wei Ying and Lan Zhan are like OTP but how about others?...I don't know if I should make it Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng or...maybe Jin Guanshao? 
> 
> also I want to include something with Nie Huaisang! I kinda like him! ...aARGH! so many people!


	7. Nightly Whisper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter is making an apperance! \o/ ...
> 
> I have some ideas for a banana fish fanfic ...I think I will post it as part of this series (once I figure out how the heck I create series) 
> 
> I can't write too much because I have been doing the inktober! - I am trying to draw Mo Dao Zu Shi characters!

A high pitch was persistent in his ear as the lips of the doctor, Wen Qing explained the condition of his brother. She spoke about the insurance and possible treatments of rehab to help him gain mobility again but Wei Ying couldn’t process any of her words – the high pitch was simply too loud.

He couldn’t think straight. His thoughts bounced from helping his brother Xingchen and the international tournament coming around the corner. Every time he thought of making a choice a cold sweat would paralyze him only to shiver uncontrollably. 

He figured he must have had some sort of karma in his past life for such a bad luck. 

What was it going to be? The answer struck him like a lighting; if he wanted to help both of his brothers he needed to win the international championship and seize that prize money. 

That high pitch never quite left his head as he played the following matches, which made Wen Ning grew worried by the day. Every day he would plead to Wei Ying about explaining his situation to the rest of the teammates, in which he stubbornly refused each time.

Wei Ying knew Jiang Cheng – He would tell him to rest and leave the team. Probably they would all pitch a little bit of their prize money if they win the international coup.

If they win.

Wei Ying didn’t want lady luck to handle this situation. Maybe it was the high pitch driving him insane to the point he started to distrust his own shadow but he didn’t believe fully the team would be able to win without him. 

Which made the following months insanely crazy. Wei Ying temper would switch from playful to bloodthirst, to the point that Nie Huaisang preferred to be next to his brother rather than Wei Ying.

Jiang Cheng was also determined to win so he didn’t complain, as Wei Ying hunger proved to be useful during the next matches and he was more invested in understanding the game rather than Wei Ying’s mood swings.

Jiang Cheng considered the team should win by any means, anything… 

Anything but using something that he considered cheating…

During the final match, when the team was at lost; Wei Ying and Wei Ning abused a bug to turn the tables and score a victory. 

There was flaming on the internet, mockery, and discussions but in the end, they received the trophy and money. Yunmeng team was the champion of the international tournament and his team members "the kings of bugs". 

Wei Ying “NoEnvy” disappeared from the gaming scene for good. 

 

# ***

 

Wei Ying woke up abruptly at the sound of gunshots, feeling his mouth dry and his body covered in a thick layer of sweat. He wasn’t sure what was worse; the memories from a year ago or the possible gang fight occurring around his neighborhood.

He covered his head with his pillow and rolled on his bed from a side to another as he complained loudly. 

A knock on his window interrupted his whining so he hastily opened it. Outside, In the fire stairs, there was a young man around his age with dark glasses and purple hair styled in a Mohawk. He seemed tired and puffing heavily as he waited for his friend to let him in. 

-“Sorry ying-ying, but the cops were coming…” he apologized stepping inside –“It was easier to escape through here,”

-“Shorter, you do know Xingcheng is a cop, right?”- Wei Ying hissed clicking his tongue.

-“Was a cop,”- he said putting his hands together as a pledge and looking around the dark room, barely lifting his dark glasses –“I’m surprised you are not playing at this hour,”

-“I fell asleep. Stop getting yourself in trouble, these gang fights would get you killed someday- you already dishonored your ancestors doing that to your hair!”

Shorter laughed–“As expected you are actually a goody like Xingcheng, complaining about such things,”

-“I pick my troubles more carefully”- Wei Ying stated puffing his cheeks –“I will walk you outside,”

Once in the hallway, they met Xue Yang, who was standing by the doorframe of Xingcheng room without a shirt. The sight made Wei Ying shiver but he dared not to utter a word. 

Shorter was also speechless but for different reasons. He hurried his steps visibly nervous and dared not to meet his eye. Wei Ying noticed this but he figured he would ask about it later.

“I will see you around the noodle shop,” Wei Ying fist-bumped his friend before he disappeared through the door.

“didi, you should pick your friends better. He looks like a little delinquent,” Xue Yang said leaning his body on the wall.

“Don’t call me didi,” Wei Ying frowned as he walked towards his room. His dark eyes were scrutinizing every inch of uncovered skin in Xue Yang body.

“Your big brother is sleeping. He gets tired after some action,” He smiled showing his canine fangs that brought more wrath into Wei Ying chest “One day you may understand those things,”

A soft laughter came from his throat which brought Wei Ying cheeks into a vermillion color. He shut his door trying to ignore his comments.

Since he was now awake he sat by his computer and wore his gaming glove, lowly cursing at Xue Yang comment – he knew plenty about the things they were doing.

He had a vast collection of erotica books and quite a way with the ladies. Sure, he never actually got physical with any of them but he was not ignorant in such matters. His brother Xingcheng probably knew less than him! 

Wei Ying logged into his cloud account, thinking about playing “S.O.A.P”. He couldn’t really give in gaming but he certainly didn’t like the fame so he chose a new nickname to hide: “Suibian” -Whatever. 

Once in the lobby, he checked his friend list. Wei Ning probably grew tired of waiting for him so late at night, however, there was someone online that always brought a smile to his face.

 **Suibian:** Wangji! Wangji! Why are you up so late?!  
**Wangji:** Studying.  
[2:00 AM]  
**Suibian:** So diligent as always er-ge-ge I’m swoon~  
[2:01 AM]  
**Wangji:** Why are you up this late?  
[2:03 AM]  
**Suibian:** can’t sleep! I’m a nocturnal creature that feeds on salt.  
**Suibian:** and resentful energy from players.  
[2:03 AM]  
**Wangji:** not true.  
[2:04 AM]  
**Suibian:** lol Wangji you are always so serious!  
**Suibian:** I thought of playing with you but you better study~ to be a good big brother one day~ break more hearts along the way.  
**Wangji:** I don’t care about that.  
[2:05 AM]  
**Suibian:** Eh? How about joining another team? Ever since you lost to that villain of “NoEnvy” you haven’t joined another team.  
**Suibian:** You are good Wangji, you could be a pro!  >//3//<  
**Wangji:** I don’t care about that.  
[2:06 AM]

********

Wei Ying exhaled a sigh as he read his words. He never told Wangji it was him when they meet by chance in a public match. The man simply added him to his contact list because of his decent skills and ever since them they play almost every night. 

**Suibian:** what do you exactly care about?  
**Suibian:** Ohh! I know!  
**Suibian:** are you taking care of some family business or something?!  
**Suibian:** Ahh! It must be nice to have long-term plans!  
**Suibian:** Are you in college? You must be near to graduate!  
**Wangji:** yes.  
[2:07 AM]  
**Suibian:** You will probably get a nice job too!  
**Suibian:** Ah! Ah! I bet you would be a businessman!  
**Suibian:** I bet no one knows you are a good gamer!  
**Suibian:** By the way why are you online on your cloud account if you are studying!  
**Suibian:** That doesn’t sound very efficient!  
**Suibian:** Can you even focus like this?!  
**Wangji:** yes.  
[2:08 AM]  
**Suibian:** But I should probably let you study! It won’t be the same if I don’t play with big brother wangji~  
**Suibian:** who is going to carry my sorry ass through the match~  
**Suibian:** you would always be my top  <3 there’s no one else ge~ge  
**Suibian:** bye bye!  
**Suibian is offline.  
** [2:10 AM]

****

****

In his room, Lan Zhan eyes were nailed to the computer screen. He was in the middle of typing before Suibian went offline. This was typical of him so he wasn’t surprised in the slightest and yet he wished for more time together.

From the past months he has been meaning to tell him that he knew his identity behind that nickname, he knew since they played in that random match. However their encounters and chats were usually like this, “NoEnvy” was a chatterbox that didn’t give him much of a chance to make questions, and when he did he would easily deflect or go offline. 

He closed the book on his lap and thought about the noodle stand where he found him that afternoon.

It didn’t matter, he wouldn’t need to rely on online methods after all.


	8. Heavenly Watercolor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! ...English is not my first language! but I try my best! ..corrections are welcome!
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this scene! I did! hahaha.
> 
> In the physics of this work a Wok can hit someone and bounce back to its owner, that wok is the might of China!

There was a thick fog covering every street, making it look like a watercolor painting. The few strokes of colors were the red lanterns around the noodle stand, almost like flowers blossoming amidst the clouds.

Wei Ying felt that morning melancholic as he prepared more spicy sauce in the corner of the kitchen. Scholars probably wrote poems of yearning in a weather like this, where all was hidden. He never yearned for much, nor he had needs and yet his life was full of clouds of uncertainty. 

Of course, for someone like Wei Ying to be quiet was a rare event which brought Lu Cang attention: 

“What has gotten into you?” he asked stirring the large dough to make noodles, covered behind a cloud of flour “Did you pester another girl?”

“Ah! Who pesters girls?! Not me! I am always delightful and warm!”

“If you mean warm like your spicy sauce. Definitely,” Wang Yao spoke from the counter “But with your dumb brain, I bet you broke someone’s heart and didn't notice!”

“Do you take me as heartless?” Wei Ying asked placing a hand on his chest.

“I take you as an idiot,” Wang Yao hissed shaking his head “an idiot with a face thickest than the wall of China!” 

Wei Ying puffed his cheeks and dared not to say a world as he continued to work. Occasionally he blurted out how cruel Wang Yao and Lu Cang were to him but after an hour he completely dismissed his bitterness. 

He was almost tempted to hum a melody as he chopped some chives only to notice Wang Yao greet a customer with much eagerness: 

“aii~ya, distinguished customer, do you wish to speak to Wei Ying?”

Wei Ying almost cut his finger by hearing that someone important was looking for him. Yao wouldn’t simply address any person like that, so it must haven’t been a regular customer. He halted his movements and looked outside towards the counter only to freeze on the spot.

The reason he froze was that there was a man that looked like a figure sculpted in ice and jade. His long black hair made a perfect contrast against his white shirt, his colors of a calligraphy made by heaven. That man was known as “Wangji” among the gaming community – One of the best top players of the last season. 

Wei Ying almost choked and quickly decided to retreat; he was certain that man had a beef against him after his defeat in the regionals.

Wang Yao noticed Wei Ying sneaking out of the kitchen and with a swift movement he picked his wok, to spin it with his wrist:  
“Aiyaa!”  
Just as Wei Ying was running out of the store Yao threw the Wok, hitting his back and making him fall flat on the ground. The Wok effectively knocked down Wei Ying and bounced back into Yao’s hand.

“Where did you learn that?” Lu Cang asked with his eyes opened in awe.

“I learned it from Rei Kon,” Yao stated proudly giving it another twist to his wrist “Distinguish costumer, would you like to sit and eat while you speak to Wei Ying?”

Lan Zhan was shocked but his face didn’t show any expression. He nodded softly and ordered a plate of noodles to Yao before walking towards Wei Ying, who was just too dizzy to even stand up. 

Lan Zhan kneeled next to him and patted his shoulder a couple times before speaking: “Wei Ying…”

“Quickly, write down the plate number …” Wei Ying spoke breathlessly clinging to an unfamiliar arm.

“What plate number?”

“Of the car that just hit me,” He said dizzily only to realize that voice was also unfamiliar and widened his eyes in surprise when noticing who was helping him to stand up “…Wangji”

He nodded softly.

“Did you come here to beat me up?! it was Jiang Cheng idea I swear! And the rabbits are cute, right?”

Wangji nodded which brought more surprise to Wei Ying.

“You think rabbits are cute?”

“Hmn…” he nodded again.

“you are not angry, you didn’t come here to beat me up? or maybe, to force me into wearing a rabbit costume as mean to revenge!”

“Not angry,” He said simply shaking his head “I just want to talk,”

Wei Ying lips softly begun to curve into a smile and chuckled.

“Would you look at that! Maybe I was wrong…” He said wobbling walking towards one of the tables.

In the background Wang Yao snorted “Finally you come to your senses, admitting you are wrong,” he placed a bowl of Zajiang Mian in front of Lan Zhan. The fragrance of the sesame paste, garlic, and chili oil brought some warmness around them despite the heavy fog.

Wei Ying smiled dumbly “I should be working Yao, I can return to the kitchen and let the distinguish Wangji eat in peace,”

“Sit. I bet he has something important to say and you rarely work anyway,” He said turning away from them to return to the counter. 

“Then can I ask a bowl of noodles too?” Wei Ying beamed only to receive a chop in his head. 

“These people are too violent Wangji, this is what I have to endure every day” Wei Ying whined in his seat and laid his arms on the table “So, what do you want to talk to me about?” he said barely looking up, noticing he wasn’t eating.

“Do you want a bowl of noodles?” he asked.

“what? are you treating me one? Or maybe are you sharing your bowl with me?” He asked leaning his face against his palm “maybe are you going to feed me?” he asked with a wink “Well you fed me once in the game, why not in real life too?”

“If you want,”

Wei Ying widened his eyes and sat straight. He thought that maybe the serious Wangji was trying to make a joke but his face was too serious to do so. He chuckled softly with a shrug and decided to carry on with it anyway, thinking he wouldn’t do something so embarrassing. 

“Fine, feed me,” he said sitting by his side, shoulder by shoulder. His eyes sparkled with deviousness. 

Lan Zhan remained expressionless and with his chopsticks he mixed together all the ingredients inside the bowl, coating all the noodles in the dark colors of the sauce. Then he picked some of the noodles and approached them to Wei Ying mouth.

Wei Ying was embarrassed with his cheeks colored in red. The scene was too sweet and embarrassing, something only lovers would share. It reminded him of his brother and Xue Yang, or that movie with the two dogs eating spaghetti. Noodles are technically spaghetti. 

The more he thought about it the redder his face became.

But he was also known for not backing down in his jokes or challenges so he opened his mouth playfully “ahhh~”

Lan Zhan fed the noodles to Wei Ying who slurped them in delight, pleased at his great job with the sauce – though it needed more spice for his taste. 

He nodded a couple times when chewing “hmn! They are really good”  
Lan Zhan was eating now and nodded a couple times. The taste was slightly nutty joining the rich taste of the ground pork. 

Wei Ying couldn’t help but ask for another bite while leaning against Lan Zhan shoulder almost in a coquettish way. The man repeated his caring a few more times until there were no more noodles on the plate.

Wei Ying felt pleased, his head swung slowly from side to side as he was in that harmonious scene with Wangji, feeling comfortable and warm by his side. He couldn’t explain the almost heavenly feeling.

He, in fact, forgot about what Wangji wanted to talk about. 

Lan Zhan said nothing either as he carefully wiped his slim lips with a napkin; the elegance of his hands was mesmerizing for Wei Ying. 

Lan Zhan barely turned his head towards him and their gazes met. The long eyelashes in Lan Zhan were like an ebony curtain and Wei Ying found his heartbeats racing its speed. The elegant hand moved closer to Wei Ying and wiped a bit of the sauce off the corner of his lips.

Wei Ying was glad he wasn’t standing because he was sure his legs were weak. He mentally scolded himself; he wasn’t gay. He never thought he was… Until a living statue of jade and ice was so close to him he could almost feel his breathing against his cheek.

A ringtone disrupted the mood. Lan Zhan searched on his pocket for his smartphone to answer a call from his brother. 

Meanwhile, Wei Ying slapped his cheeks, trying to calm down. He couldn’t understand what’s wrong with him – Surely his heart raced when he pestered Lan Zhan last year in the regionals but that was not a reason to be like a girl next to him.

“I need to go,” Lan Zhan spoke calmly, almost like rain pouring in the wildfire of Wei Ying’s mind “My brother needs me,”

Wei Ying nodded nervously.

“Are you playing tonight?”

Wei Ying shook his head “no, I am not playing again. Everybody sees “NoEnvy” as a hack” he crossed his arms “Not like I care but it does get old”

“I mean as Suibian,”

Wei Ying froze in place, the rain turned more like a bucket of ice against his face. Lan Zhan was now up, he only drifted his gaze to text his brother and Wei Ying caught a glimpse of his lock screen: two fluffy bunnies from SOAP. 

Wei Ying just nodded in the end. Lan Zhan bowed his head once, left the money on the table and left. “I will see you tonight,”

“See you,” Wei Ying whispered barely lifting his hand. 

The white figure disappeared in the fog, almost like a dream. 

“That looked like a date!” Wang Yao shouted from the counter as soon as Lan Zhan was gone.

“THAT WAS NOT!” Wei Ying snapped bouncing off his seat.


End file.
